1.1.4
Politics
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Political Unrest
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth around 1606, at the beginning of the reign of James I (James VI of Scotland).

Heritage
- James was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, who was Catholic.
- Elizabeth I (and James himself) was Protestant.

Catholic and Protestant
- Two types of Christians were described.
- Many Protestants did not trust him because of his Catholic heritage, and many Catholics thought that he would support them.

Catholic and Protestant reactions
- When Catholics realised that James did not support Catholics, some began to develop conspiracy theories, such as the Gunpowder Plot:
- The Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt to assassinate James I by blowing up the House of Lords with gunpowder.
- The plotters of the Gunpowder Plot were caught and tortured. The plot against the king had failed.

A tale of caution?
- Macbeth is, to some degree, a tale of caution – it acted as a warning about what could happen to people who committed treason (a crime against the king).
1Literary & Cultural Context
2Plot Summary
3Characters
3.1Macbeth
3.2Lady Macbeth
3.3Other Characters
3.4Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Themes
4.1Themes
4.2Grade 9 - Themes
5Writer's Techniques
5.1Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Characters Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Literary & Cultural Context
2Plot Summary
3Characters
3.1Macbeth
3.2Lady Macbeth
3.3Other Characters
3.4Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Themes
4.1Themes
4.2Grade 9 - Themes
5Writer's Techniques
5.1Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Characters Quotes
Practice questions on Politics
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Which of these are true of King James I?True / false
- 2What year did Shakespeare write _Macbeth_?Multiple choice
- 3Which of these are true of _Macbeth_?True / false
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